Kevin Wood Posted March 13, 2007 Share Posted March 13, 2007 Wow! That's a big tank. I doubt I'd get my camping gear in the boot though. TBH I went from 120 to 165 miles to a tank when I fitted injection and I'm generally ready for a leg stretch after 120 in the saddle anyway, so the extra range for me is just a safety net. I've done touring in Scotland, Ieland, France, etc. and, whilst I've had a few close shaves with fuel availability I've never run out. France can get tricky on a Sunday when all the pumps go self service and don't take UK credit cards. As for availability of Super Unleaded, carrying a bottle of octane booster is a good policy if you need Super but, having said that, if you're just cruising, you'll survive on 95 octane for a tank if need be. If luggage space permits, carry a 5l can in the boot box an regard it as a reserve. I've also seen some squat little 1/2 height jerry cans which take 10 litres. Might fit in the boot box at a push? Kevin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EeekiE Posted March 13, 2007 Share Posted March 13, 2007 So what's the standard fuel tank size in Litres or Gallons? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drakuul Posted March 13, 2007 Share Posted March 13, 2007 With my 3.5 v8 I get 30-35mpg on a touring run - about 170 miles per standard tank. Sounds like either a: something is very wrong or b: you had your foot to the floor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Symbiotic_Caterpillar Posted March 13, 2007 Share Posted March 13, 2007 Long range W/F fuel tank - 40litres. Say goodbye to a normal boot box though! Say goodbye to any thoughts of an RAC roll bar too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir Greg Posted March 13, 2007 Share Posted March 13, 2007 Say goodbye to any thoughts of an RAC roll bar too Incorrect I'm afraid........mine has a long range tank and one of the smaller bootboxes with a stepped inside. The larger tank is designed so the RAC rollbar still fits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gez Posted March 13, 2007 Author Share Posted March 13, 2007 Gez, Something to consider, if I remember correctly it’s illegal to carry that much spare fuel, and it’s not easy to hide in a Westy. I think 10 litres is the most you can store in a vehicle? Cheers Mark Does anyone else know if this is correct - If this is so, then how do peope take fuel to track days, why can you readily buy 20 litre fuel cans and why do machine mart mak a bracket for securing a 20 litre can to your vehicle? I'm not saying you're wrong, just rying to find out if my idea is a non starter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markboyce Posted March 13, 2007 Share Posted March 13, 2007 QUOTE With that long range tank sat behind the rear wheels - does it effect the handling at all? Yep it is the only downside of it as I see it. 1 litre of petrol weighs 0.72 kgs x 40 litres = 28.8 kgs. I could notice the weight tranfer and difference in handling from full to empty on track and ended up changing to the fuel tank mounted over the diff but would long for a larger tank for the turbo motor. How is the build on your blown XE coming along? Cheers Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gez Posted March 13, 2007 Author Share Posted March 13, 2007 I think there's a bigger tank option available from Westfield from what I've been reading. While we're on the subject though, what sort of miles should I expect from a Sport 1600 with standard tank? Having done a few searches regarding long range fuel tanks, they sound like an A*** to fit retrospectively, and as is mentioned later eat into your boot box space. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gez Posted March 13, 2007 Author Share Posted March 13, 2007 It all depends on how u use the loud pedal.....keep off it a bit and you CAN tour comfortably but factor in stopping when you can and keep the tank brimmed...touring in France was always a challenge when they used to shut at 8pm and were few and far between...it was a case of see fuel-buy it. I don't want to have to alter my driving and go easy beacuse i am getting short of fuel. I'd prefer to be able to keep up with the other cars. I'm sure that there will be stretrches where mpg increases, but there will also be 'fun bits' where it goes down dramatically! As for see fuel-buy it - we are going out into the wilds of Scotland, and there aren't that many too see! We've planed the route so that there are BP Ultimate garges on the way (no vpower available unfortunately), but this might not suffice my little tanks/ heavy feet, hence looking at the alternatives. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gez Posted March 13, 2007 Author Share Posted March 13, 2007 In regard to the various questions relating to engine/mpg etc - I've got a 2 litre zetec on webers. I wourked out from the amount of fuel i put in, i was getting about 18 mpg. This may increase slightly but i would doubt if it increased significantly - i always get low mpg from my cars as I enjoy driving them too much! I know that the tank was not completely empty when i filled up (maybe about a gallon left), but when cornering hardish and accelerating or braking (i can't remember which and obviously not at the same time as cornering!) the fuel gague sometimes dipped right down to empty, so i thought to be on the safe side it was best to fill up! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
combatsapph Posted March 13, 2007 Share Posted March 13, 2007 QUOTE Say goodbye to any thoughts of an RAC roll bar too The RAC roll bar still fits (at least it did when I trial fitted it last week!). Thanks for the heads up on the smaller boot box though- I didn't know one existed :-) Any chance of a photo Sir Greg? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Wood Posted March 13, 2007 Share Posted March 13, 2007 To answer Eeekie's question I believe the standard fuel tank is 27 litres capacity. Kevin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FW500 Posted March 13, 2007 Share Posted March 13, 2007 With that long range tank sat behind the rear wheels - does it effect the handling at all? Yep it is the only downside of it as I see it. 1 litre of petrol weighs 0.72 kgs x 40 litres = 28.8 kgs. I could notice the weight tranfer and difference in handling from full to empty on track and ended up changing to the fuel tank mounted over the diff but would long for a larger tank for the turbo motor. How is the build on your blown XE coming along? Cheers Mark The tank over the diff does seem like a great idea for weight distribution (if a little high up), but it doesn't offer you much space - I guess compromises are what this car is going to be all about (to look at things negatively) or thinking outside of the square (to be more positive). Mine is coming on slowly - I'm waiting to hear some T5 gearbox mounting solutions from Westfield (I'll start my own thread / do a search if I get no joy there.) I'm going to stick a standard XE in to get it through the SVA as I've got a few issues with the LET that I suspect would cause me more hassle than just swapping engines after the SVA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir Greg Posted March 13, 2007 Share Posted March 13, 2007 Say goodbye to any thoughts of an RAC roll bar too The RAC roll bar still fits (at least it did when I trial fitted it last week!). Thanks for the heads up on the smaller boot box though- I didn't know one existed :-) Any chance of a photo Sir Greg? Pics wouldn't show anything really as I've now made a boot cover with only a hatch for access. If you looked at the box from the rear of the car however it has a stepped section to allow for the higher fuel tank. It then drops down behind where the fuel tank sits and is a normal depth. Although big enough for puncture fluid and maybe some waterproofs etc it certainly won't take a helmet or fuel can...........although you won't need one with all that extra fuel capacity.. I actually bought if second hand off Ebay for £25 and at the time had no idea there were different kinds. I knew the car had a long range tank but it was a huge stroke of luck that the bootbox was designed for it.... In saying that however, it did need a bit of "re-shaping" to get it to fit properly.......although that's maybe more to do with every Westy being a different shape! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Williamson Posted March 13, 2007 Share Posted March 13, 2007 Check here for the legal stance; Click Although I know many of us exceed this! Cheers Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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